Step 1: Plan a time to organize

The first step to organizing anything is to put on your calendar an hour or two of time for you to organize. Every step of the way, add an additional hour or two the following week. You don’t have to organize your entire home in a day, but you do need to intentionally set aside time for you to start the process of organizing. Don’t wait; just do it.

Step 2: Donate or throw everything away

When you begin organizing, the first thing you need to do, is purge whatever you can. Whether you’re organizing your clothes, your documents in a filing cabinet, or your cleaning supplies, it’s time to part with anything you no longer use or want. Either donate it or throw it away. Err on the side of getting rid of something. And if you’re not sure, I use the 1 year standard. I ask “have I used (or worn) this in the past year?”. If the answer is no, I automatically get rid of it barring some extraordinary reason to keep it. And I promise that after purging a little bit, this will get easier.

Step 3: Visualize what you want your space to look like when you’re done

After you’ve purged, you’ll have only things that you want to keep. Before putting things in specific places, you need to look at the space you have. If you’re organizing your closet, look closely at all of the space. Imagine blocks of space being allocated for different items (clothes, shoes, belts, etc.). Think about which items would fit best in the space. If you’re organizing a filing cabinet, look at how you want to divide it up (sections, folders, tabs, etc.). If you’re organizing cleaning supplies, look at where you want to keep them (all together; different shelves, etc.). By visualizing the items in the space, you’ll realize kinks and discover which way would be best and why.

If you’re stuck, do a few online searches to get ideas on what an organized closet, filing cabinet, or cleaning supplies look like. This step is critically important; so don’t skip it!

Step 4: Give everything a space

Put your vision into action. Decide what items will go where. Whatever you decide is where you should always put that item. Of course, you can change the designated space. But, you should use the space you decide on until you intentionally change it. There’s no putting mail on the kitchen table when you walk in the door if you have a mail folder / bin where the mail goes. Be intentional with where you put things and you’ll get in the habit of staying organized.

Step 5: Put things in their place, one item at a time

After you know where you want things to go, begin to put them in their specific space. Put all like things together in a given space, neatly. In the closet example, don’t start by putting whatever is in front of you in your closet – sweaters, shoes, hats, etc. Be logical about it. Begin with one group (e.g. jeans) and put all your jeans in a designated space. Then, add the next group of things (e.g. sweaters). After you add a few categories of items, stop and take a step back. Then, look at what you have so far. If you like it, keep going. But every so often, take a step back and look at the space as a whole. Ask questions, like “does it look neat?” and “does it feel neat?” and “is this practical for me?”. All of these questions will move you in the right direction.

If you get overwhelmed or tired, stop. There’s no sense in shoving miscellaneous items under your bed when the whole point is to organize. Instead, stop for the day and put in on your calendar when you’ll come back to it. A break for a few days will give you time to re-energize so your efforts aren’t wasted. Then, come back and finish organizing everything.

Step 6: Implement supportive systems to stay organized

After you organize your things, you should feel pretty awesome. An organized space allows you to be a professional at whatever it is you’re doing. But, you’re not entirely done yet. While it feels really good to have neat, tidy space, it’s equally as important to maintain that organization.

While there’s definitely a reason to “re-organize,” once you’re organized once, you shouldn’t have to “organize” again. What do I mean by this? Well, if you spent all this time getting organized, do yourself a favor and implement systems to stay organized. If you want to “reorganize” your space differently in the future to be more appealing, that’s reasonable. But you shouldn’t ever go from organized to unorganized.

You can stay organized very easily. The key is to implement teeny, tiny daily habits that promote organization. Force yourself to put things exactly in the space you’ve created for them, immediately. For example, if you organized your closet, be sure to put your shoes where you want them to go at the end of every day after work. Don’t say “well, I’ll leave them by the door because I’m going to wear them tomorrow.” Before you know it, you have a pile of shoes at the door. And it’s not about the one pair of shoes. It’s that if you do something once today; you’re twice as likely to do the same thing tomorrow.

Force yourself to get into good habits. Practicing good daily habits will be the difference between failure and success for you.

A Final Note!

If you are ready to get more serious about organizing your space, I highly recommend reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. It will supercharge you and help you transform your life into the organized life you’ve always imagined!

Comments

I’m naturally organized like you, but, I do have to devote time to get rooms/closets to that point! You’re so right that once it’s done, you really shouldn’t need to do it again. As you mentioned, having a place for everything is key–being a space optimist and not allocating enough room for everything is a surefire way to fail! I like to use little cardboard boxes to designate sections or areas in drawers. I actually love organizing and now I’m feeling motivated! Thanks for the tips!Mrs. Frugalwoods recently posted…The Ultimate Bike Commuter’s Guide to Winter Cycling

I am loving seeing your pics on instagram!! Keep them coming 🙂 And yes, if you’re not naturally an organized person, I do believe that these steps can be a tremendous help. Once you start throwing things away or donating them you get on a roll and see progress. Good luck! 🙂

I am very meticulous and almost crave order and a clutter free environment. Living with DH who isn’t as concerned can prove interesting at times but overall our living environment is a pleasant place for us to be. Sound advice for those who want to get more organized Natalie.Kassandra recently posted…5 Sure Signs of a Shady Financial Company

Love these tips!! When we moved from AZ to NC we got rid of so much stuff and that in itself has kept me super organized. It’s way easier to stay organized when everything has a place and you actually use everything that you own. We actually just got back from the mall and since downsizing, I just view “stuff” so differently. There’s really very few items that I actually want – so much stuff just takes up space and costs money!!Sarah recently posted…How to live like you’re on vacation

I’m not a naturally tidy person, so the #2 purge what you can I find makes the most difference for me. If there’s less to keep organized, there’s less mess. I also like the point about visualizing what you want to see and how you want a space to operate. Mine don’t get, but I know what I’m working towards.Emily @ Simple Cheap Mom recently posted…Wait, Why Don’t You Have a Will?

I am not naturally organized, but every few months I feel like I have to get myself organized, so I will take a whole day clean things up and then I can’t find anything. 🙂 I do feel better though when my home is in order, it definitely helps my mental health.Shannon @ Financially Blonde recently posted…5 Bad Investing Habits

I tend to be organized and everything has its place. Too much clutter is a distraction for me. My husband doesn’t like clutter either so that helps. Like you said, once you figure out a system, it’s just spending a few minutes every day to pick up after yourself. A sense of order is very zen for me. 🙂Shannon @ The Heavy Purse recently posted…The Best Apps to Help You Save Money this Christmas

I think too much clutter is a distraction for most people, but because they’re not used to having clean space, they’re unaware of how distracting it is. It’s amazing that after a while of being in the habit of staying organized how off it feels to be unorganized.

I wish I was more organized and always working on it. You are right about how a space can feel so much better when its organized. I do keep my bedroom nice and clean and it feels so zen when I go there.Petrish @ Debt Free Martini recently posted…When Debt Finally Meets Budget – Humor

If anyone has any tips on how to store my boyfriend’s hockey equipment in our tiny apartment, please let me know haha. He leaves it right at our front entrance because it’s the only place with enough space. So gross!Christine @ The Wallet Diet recently posted…Understanding Your OSAP Student Loan

I’ve very organized when it comes to ideas, but I’m so bad with stuff! I’ve been terrible ever since I was a kid. My sister would fuss at me for my piles everywhere. When I start to have trouble finding things, I clean up.Jenna recently posted…Where In The World Should We Live?

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Hi, I'm Natalie! I went from lawyer to financial planner to blogger. I've designed my dream life and my goal is to help you design yours. I've been featured in Forbes, CNBC, MSNBC, US News, The Huffington Post, and more. Learn more about me here...